A blog about genealogy and thoughts about the various roots and branches of my family tree as well as the times in which my ancestors lived.Included are the West, White,and McFarland families.WARNING:DO NOT TAKE ALL OF MY FAMILY RECORDS AS GOSPEL. ALWAYS CONFIRM YOUR OWN RESEARCH!

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

JEREMIAH SWAIN PART 8: "Honored Sirs"

This is the eighth in a series of posts concerning my 9x greatgrandfather, Jeremiah Swain.

A month after receiving his orders and instructions from the Governor andhis Council Jeremiah Swain sent the following letter detailing events afterhis arrival in the province of Maine. I think George Washington would havesympathized with Swain's concern over clothing and supplies!

I should also make note here of Jeremiah's writing style. As will becomemore evident in some of his later letters, he frequently abbreviated wordsand rather creatively in some cases. Note how he abbreviates September inthe date of the letter! I have changed a few things, changing "v"s to "u"s insome words to make a sentence easier to understand, for example, but I'veleft the original puncuation most of the spelling as Jeremiah wrote this.I believe "Captain Noise" to be "Captain Noyes". And I never noticed untiljust now that Jeremiah spelled his own name as Sweyen!

As in the previous post, my source is the Maine Historical Society'sDocumentary History of Maine :

Salmon ffalls in Berwick 7ber 15 1689Honored SirsAfter the tender of my most humble service to yor honrs. These few lines humbly Sheweth the accot of my proceedings hitherto, as I came along by Haverill, I left Orders wth Capt Noise to Scoutt upon ye Skirts of said towne, & downe as far as Almsberry wth ye whole or pt of his Compee & ye Troopers drawn out of ye Regiment Soe I advanced to Berwick where I found the people in as much Danger of Some among them as of ye Enimy for want of a well Settlement of ye Militia am. them, Then I sent for some of ye principall Persons of ye place, and also of Hampsheir Gentlem And advised with them, where wee agreed of ye Settlement of Severall Garrissons wth their owne men and appointed Comanders of the same not without great Opposition by some When I had almost done and intending to advance towards Casco, I had news Sent me of a house poorly fortifyed at Oyster River that it was taken by ye Enimie being about Sixty in ye Compny though part of Capt Gardners Compy lodged the night before at said house & were moved away about half a hour before ye assault and were got to Cocheecha where a post overtooke them and they faced about & per sued ye Enimy but could not find them. Our Souldiers not haveing pvission nor Amunition to stay out were forced to return, Than I borrowed all ye Amunition & Bread I could procure of the Inhabitants and sent pt of Capt Converss his Compny to Cochecha to meet & Joyn with Capt Gardners who Persued ye Enimie three dayes but finding none of them returned, but before yr returne, one of ye Captives made his escape two dayes after he was taken, whom ye Indians tould that they had beleagerd ye place three dayes and when they knew how many men belonged to ye house & seeing ye all gathering Corn came & killed them first, and then sett upon ye house where were onely Woomen children & two Boyes, they killed & Captivated Eighteene persons none escapeing, whereupon I ordered all ye Garrisons here abouts (for time to Come) not to leave any Garrisson without less then 4 or five able men upon ye Gentry at all times, we are Endeavouring but cannot yet find any of ye Enimy by our Scouts, onely now & than there is a report of Indians Seen & men are shott att. whereupon I offord Gaurds to ye Inhabitants about their bussiness I cannot as yet have any Intelligence of their head quarters but by ye Captive boyes accot he perceived or Judged it was upon an Island at Winipessawket which is a small lake; Honed Sirs I am now advancing towards Casco, having set there two Companyes upon duty, Some few of or men are Sick & some lame Soe yet we are in want of a Chirurgion, many of ye Souldiers are in much want of Cloathing & Tobacco & please send some more good pork and bread in Convenient time for a Recrute that we may not want as before, ye first barll of pork we opened proved so bad could not spend it, for pease here are good to be procured ; I hope you will be pleased to send lawes & Orders for ye Comp. which is all at psent from Your Honors Humble Servt to Comand.

Jeremiah Sweyen

The Council took note of the request for clothing and took action:

The following in the hand-writing of Secretary Addington: Memo for Cloathing./.Shoes and stockins, Trucking Cloth for blanketts. Shirts drawers Coats and wast coats./. Men wanting in James Convers his Company Two from Capte Hamonds Company Two of Cambridge went back from Woburn. One wanting from Reding another went back from Woburn.

4 comments:

It's great that the Maine Historical Society has such a wealth of information! Jeremiah must have been one tough fellow - as the rest of his troop and indeed, all those who fought in that war. Thanks for giving the rest of us researchers hope that we might find our 9th g-grandfather, too!